This week, I needed some quick, easy, healthy and new recipes, so I headed over to Skinnytaste, which has been my go-to food blog since last summer when a good friend let me in on the secret! I love it because all the recipes I have tried so far have been tasty, the blog is easy to navigate and all of the nutritional information and weight watchers points are provided for every recipe. To top it all off, she also has plenty of options for people with dietary allergies or preferences, such as myself!

Here’s what I’m making this week. All photos are via the Skinnytaste blog:

The main ingredient of this recipe is cauliflower! We eat cauliflower a lot of different ways around here (as a substitute for pasta, potatoes, etc.). Plus, I love any kind of citrus treat. I’ll let you know how this turns out!

What are your favorite food blogs? Have you tried anything from Skinnytaste before? Do you have any recommendations for us?

I have made this about a gazillion times over the years, as it is one of my favorite healthy sweets. But this time I substituted some xylitol for some of the agave to lower the glycemic load and overall sugar content. I based my recipe on this one, but with adaptations.

Filling:
1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours (overnight is best)
juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1/3 cup raw coconut oil, melted (just place the jar in warm water to melt)
1/3 cup sweetener (I used half agave nectar, half granulated xylitol. You could use honey if you prefer.)
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen. I get the big bags of organic frozen blueberries from Costco. You can use any fruit you want, really. I’ve used strawberries, raspberries, mango…)

The Do:
Place nuts, dates, figs, and sea salt in your high-powered blender or food processor and combine till the whole mixture is sticky. Spread the mixture in the bottom of a pie pan.

Next, place all the ingredients for the filling in the blender or food processor and blend until everything is smooth, no lumps allowed. The mixture should be thick, similar to the consistency of soft serve ice cream.

Pour the mixture into the pie pan on top of the crust mixture.

Chill the pie for several hours, until the whole thing has set and is the consistency of a cheesecake.

I said I was going to make fudgesicles, and I did! Only I didn’t use the recipe I mentioned. I just made up my own. They are yummo. Gluten-free, low-glycemic, vegan, healthy-protein-and-fat-packed, delightful fudge pops. These are hearty enough to be an actual healthy snack, not just a sweet treat. The addition of avocado and coconut oil makes the pops as creamy-dreamy as store-bought fudge pops.

*I used this Total Vegan, which I don’t love the flavor of and am trying to use up; but it’s gluten free, contains only 4 grams of sugar per serving, and is a complete vegetarian protein. Fortunately, B isn’t all that particular about the flavor as long as it’s sweet and creamy. I prefer Manitoba Harvest Chocolate Hemp Protein , but you can use whatever brand you like for your particular needs.

Put all the ingredients in your blender, and blend till smooth and creamy

Pour the mixture into your popsicle molds, or in our case, the Zoku. Freeze overnight, or wait the required 7-9 minutes for the Zoku Pops to freeze